Christmas Markets Tour of Central Europe by Bus

Meeting Points: 19:00 In front of the Kadıköy Marriage Office Parking Lot 19:30 Next to Mecidiyeköy Ziraat Bank 20:00 Next to İncirli Ömür Plaza 21:00 Selimpaşa Metro Rest Area 22:00 Çorlu Metro Rest Area After meeting our guests at the departure points specified in the tour program, we proceed by following the Istanbul–Edirne highway, with necessary breaks, to the Edirne – Kapıkule Land Border Gate. After completing our exit procedures there, we depart for Belgrade, Serbia via Bulgaria. Overnight on the bus.

Upon our arrival in Belgrade, during our short panoramic tour by bus, we will see the city’s daily life, important buildings, and the Ministry of the Interior buildings, which are said to have been intentionally left in the middle of the city and bombed by NATO. In the continuation of our tour, after getting off the bus, the places to be seen during our walking tour are: Belgrade Fortress, Damat Ali Pasha Tomb, Clock Tower, Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Fountain, Military Museum, Istanbul Gate, Zindan Gate, Leopold Gate, Stefan Lazarević Monument, Nebojša Tower, Kalemegdan, Saborna Church, Republic Square, Terazije Square, and Tašmajdan. We complete our city tour with a walk along Knez Mihailova Street, considered the heart of the city. Here, you will have free time until the meeting time announced by our guide, during which you may shop at the Christmas market and enjoy the elegant cafes along the street. You may join the Danube and Sava Rivers Boat Trip tour (30 €), which will be organized as an extra by our guide. Meeting back on our bus and transfer to the hotel. Those who wish may join our extra Serbian Night with dinner tour (50 €).

After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Budapest. Upon our arrival in Budapest, during our city tour we will see the following sights: Erzsébet Bridge, Gellért Hill, Fisherman’s Bastion, St. Matthias Church, Chain Bridge, Parliament Building, and Heroes’ Square. After the tour, free time at the Christmas market. At the end of the free time, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel. In the late afternoon, guests who wish may join the optional Boat Tour with refreshments on the Danube River (40 €), organized by our guide. At the end of the tour, transfer to our hotel.

After breakfast in the morning, our first stop will be Esztergom, the first capital of Hungary and the center of the Roman Catholic Church. During our tour, we visit Esztergom Basilica, the largest church in Hungary and the seat of the archbishopric. Esztergom Castle, located on the same hill, is currently a museum where findings, frescoes, maps, tools, and weapons narrating the history of Esztergom are exhibited. Here, it is also possible to see traces from the Ottoman rule of the 16th and 17th centuries. From the hill where the castle and basilica are located, you can see the Danube River flowing in a west-east direction and the lands of Slovakia right across the river. Then we proceed to Szentendre, also known as the town of artists, which reflects the atmosphere of a typical Mediterranean town with its narrow, winding streets and architecture. Today, Szentendre is the starting point of the summer resort area known as the Danube Bend, the section where Budapest residents have their summer houses. In this city, which has many churches, it is very pleasant to sit in street cafés or stroll through its authentic narrow streets. This area, one of the most visited places in Hungary, has therefore become a shopping paradise. There are dozens of shops selling handmade tablecloths, porcelain and glassware, wine, dolls, folkloric costumes, and wooden souvenirs. At the end of the tour, transfer back to Budapest and our hotel. In the evening, guests who wish may join the Gypsy Night tour, arranged extra by our guide with a folkloric dance group, including dinner and unlimited drinks (60 €). At the end of our tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and depart with our luggage, beginning our journey to Prague. En route, we visit Bratislava. After the city tour and Christmas market visit here, we continue on our way to Prague. Upon arrival in Prague, we begin our panoramic city tour. The places to be seen during the tour include Hradčany Castle District, Loretta Church, the Presidential Palace, St. Vitus Cathedral, whose construction took 600 years and which incorporates Neo-Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque features, the Alchemists’ Lane, Franz Kafka’s House, Charles Bridge, built in the 13th century by Master Architect Peter Parler and adorned with 31 statues of saints, the Old Town Square, the historic Astronomical Clock Tower, built in the 15th century and depicting the 12 Apostles, and Týn Church. After our city tour, we will have free time for shopping at the Christmas market. Following the free time, transfer to our hotel and check-in to our rooms. Overnight at our hotel. In the evening, guests who wish may join the Dinner Cruise on the Vltava River (60 €), organized as an extra by our guide.

After breakfast at the hotel, we depart from our hotel for the Karlovy Vary tour. We begin our journey to Karlovy Vary, the Czech Republic’s famous spa city, accompanied by your guide’s pleasant commentary. Upon arrival in Karlovy Vary, we will take a city tour. We will see the hotel where Atatürk stayed in 1918, the houses of Dvořák, Mozart, Goethe, Beethoven, and Pushkin, and visit the thermal galleries where 12 different thermal springs, with temperatures ranging between 30–72°C, emerge. At the end of the tour, transfer back to our hotel. In the evening, guests who wish may join the Folkloric Czech Night with dinner and unlimited drinks (70 €), organized as an optional extra by our guide. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and depart with our luggage, heading toward Vienna. Along the way, we will visit the medieval town of Cesky Krumlov. Cesky Krumlov is one of the precious gems of the Czech Republic and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Having fallen into a state of ruin during the most dominant periods of communism, Cesky Krumlov experienced a rebirth starting in the 1990s and greatly impresses visitors with both its architecture and natural beauty. After a short break in the town, we continue our journey to Vienna. Upon arrival, we begin our Vienna city tour. The Opera House, University, Parliament Building, Theater, Prater, Hofburg Palace, Hundertwasser House, and the Museum Quarter are among the places to be seen panoramically. At the end of the tour, free time at the Christmas market. Afterwards, transfer to our hotel and check-in to the rooms. Guests who wish may join the Grinzing tour, including dinner and limited drinks, organized as an extra by our guide (60 €). In this tour, Grinzing Village, a viticulture village especially famous for its white wines, is now a popular destination for tourists with its authentic buildings and typical restaurants. In Grinzing, about 20 minutes outside Vienna, we enjoy an unforgettable Central European evening with entertainment accompanied by accordion and violin during dinner. At the end of the tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast, we depart for Novi Sad, the capital of Vojvodina, the autonomous region that is economically the most developed part of Serbia. During our walking tour in the city where Albert Einstein also lived for a period, the places to be seen panoramically include Liberty Square, the Svetozar Miletić Monument, the Catholic Cathedral, the Orthodox St. George Cathedral, St. Nicholas Church, and the Synagogue. During the free time provided here, you can enjoy the cafes in this lively city. At the end of our tour, transfer to Belgrade and our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

After our breakfast in the morning, we depart for Bulgaria and Sofia. Upon arrival in Sofia, during our city tour, St. Nedelya Church, the Russian Church, the Rotunda Church, Hagia Sophia Church, the Parliament, Sofia University, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Prime Ministry, and the NDK National Palace of Culture will be among the places we will see on our tour. We will also have the opportunity to see the military house where the ball was held that our great leader M. Kemal Atatürk attended wearing a Janissary uniform. After our tour, we gather on our bus and depart for Istanbul. After entering the Republic of Türkiye, we continue on our way to Istanbul. Arrival in Istanbul in the early hours of the morning and the end of our tour.